'Conquering Kili' ~ Day 3..... And The Rain Came Down!

‘Conquering Kili’ ~ Day 3….. And The Rain Came Down!

The temperature dropped significantly during the night as a cold wind gently battered the tents on the exposed Shira Plateau.

Grey skies and a relentless rain greeted the team when they rose for breakfast at 6am, but nothing could dampen their spirits as they prepared for the long day ahead which would see them climb to a maximum altitude of 4,681m.

The porters sang a special rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ to Helen, ensuring she would have an unforgettable birthday, and leaving the team feeling uplifted despite the rain which was now falling heavily.

The trek to the magnificent Lava Tower through the harsh and rocky Alpine Desert was made even more challenging by the wet conditions and lack of sleep, which was beginning to take its toll on the team.

Ceri was suffering severely from the effects of altitude sickness and had to be sent immediately back down to camp approximately 700m lower.
The rest of the team fell into a deep sleep within moments of sitting down in the lunch tent.

They spent a couple of hours acclimatising before making their way back down through the spectacular lunar landscape to Barranco Camp (3,960m), where the Royal Marines gave the girls much needed instructions on how to get out of wet kit and into dry kit without getting the inside of their tents soaking!